Special Reminders

• Report Card Distribution is March 20.

• Spring Break April 7- 11

• CRCT begins April 23 – April 30th

News


The last chance for everyone to reach their AR Goal is Friday, March 14. Remember: You must have at least 85% comprehension to attend the celebration.
Our celebration will be on Thursday, March 20. We will have Extreme Recess and ice cream floats.
News


The last chance for everyone to reach their AR Goal is Friday, March 14. Remember: You must have at least 85% comprehension to attend the celebration.
Our celebration will be on Thursday, March 20. We will have Extreme Recess and ice cream floats.

IMPORTANT REMINDER

• New reading homework will be sent home on Monday. Two responses are due by Friday.

Most students completed this assignment. Please write in complete sentences. Also, give an example from the book when stating your reasons.
• Please practice math facts with your child every night.
Many thanks for all of the wonderful books contributed from the Book Fair. I will treasure the memory of your child each time I share the books with this class and future classes.

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Next Week...

Math: topic words: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands
(M2N1a.b.c) E.Q. How is the number 5 in 150 different
than the number 5 in 15?
Language Arts: Guided Reading/Writing Groups
and Shared Reading/Writing (ELA2Wla,h,i,j) will include
our Science topic Space and our Social Studies topic
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We will continue to
improve our skills in proofreading.
Sitton Spelling: another, came, come, work, three
Concepts: Digraphs – “K” and “S” sound with the letter “C”
Health/Social Studies/Science
Science: The study of SPACE. Topic words include: star, sun, gases, Earth, planet and moon. (S2E2)
A moon tracking calendar will be sent home on Tuesday. It should be completed every night for the next 28 days. Your child will look at the moon and draw a picture of what they see. They will then label each picture with the phase name that most closely relates to the picture they have drawn. By the end of 28 days, each child will have a calendar that shows a complete moon cycle!

Forms Center
• 6 Flags information and forms were sent home Wednesday, 1-16. All forms must be completed and returned NO LATER THAN 2-22-08.
• Starting on Tuesday, January 29th, students will be asked to complete a reading response log four times per week (log to be sent home Tuesday). When they read each night, the children should put the name of the book, the author and the pages read. In addition, students will need to write a sentence about what they read. If your child is reading a chapter book, their log may be four chapter entries for the week. However, they need to write a separate reflection for each entry. This reading response log is IN ADDITION to the Race to Read log. Parents need to sign both logs for each night of reading recorded.
• Jump Rope for Heart form was sent home. Please return permission slip to participate. Donations are to be turned in Friday, February 1. Please return these forms ASAP.
News
1. Research Wall clarification
o If your child chooses to do an optional research project, they should follow these guidelines:
 A minimum eight sentence paper should be written about their topic.
 Paper (and any accompanying pictures) should be nicely displayed on construction paper. I will supply paper if needed.
These projects are optional and show your child’s willingness to go above and beyond. They will be proudly displayed in the hallway for all to see.

2. We are in the process of updating our blog…stay tuned!

3. Having finished my third week of student teaching, I thought that I would formally introduce and tell you a little about myself. After many years working in corporate America, I became a stay at home mom. During that wonderful time, I decided to go back to school and pursue my teaching certification. This is my last semester before teaching full-time. I have been married for 13 years and have two incredible boys. Christian is six years old and in kindergarten and Nicholas is five and in pre-kindergarten. I thank all of you for the warm welcome that you have given me. I look forward to the next three months with your fantastic children.

Classroom Needs
We are in need of healthy snacks. If you would like to donate a box of cereal, nuts or raisins, please bring them at conference time.
Special Reminders
• Monday, January 28th is an early release day. Students will be released beginning at 12:10.
• Curriculum Night is Thursday, February 7th from 5:30-7:30.

Homework Policy

Homework Memo


I recently read an article from Scholastic Parent & Child, December 2006. There were several points worth passing on to you.

· Connect with others. More than any other single factor we can control, connection is the key to a happy childhood-and adulthood.
Connections in the form of unconditional love from an adult, helps foster self-confidence.

· Let them play, Kids need time for unstructured games as well as scheduled events. Play with other children hones their imaginations, while teaching problem-solving skills and an ability to tolerate frustration.

· Encourage practice. Learning anything is painful because it involves failure and progress is frequently slow. But, with encouragement, you keep at it and finally see improvement. The reward, teaches discipline.

· Create opportunities for mastery. With mastery come leadership skills, initiative, and a desire for hard work. It transforms a child from a reluctant, fearful learner into a motivated player.

· Provide recognition. The feeling of being valued by others (friends, family, community) is key. Recognition, in turn, reinforces the sense of connection that all children need.

I hope you will join with me from home and in the classroom to promote these five essential steps. Homework from Mrs. Poe’s class will be selected with these in mind.

Everyday your child is expected to read a minimum of 20 minutes a night. That can include silent reading or reading aloud with your child. Please sign the reading time daily. Remember to encourage your child to reach their AR goal.

Everyday your child should practice math facts, addition and subtraction facts up to 20 are a must. Fractions, geometric shapes, time of the day, and reading information from food containers can be fun and a learning moment. What is the weight? What is the size? How does this food help my body grow? This is especially helpful when you take an interest in their learning. Make it a game! Remember, we want to encourage practice, create opportunities for mastery, and provide recognition.

I will continue to send home spelling, math sheets, language arts and unfinished class work. However, these worksheets should take a minimal amount of time.
If your child spends more than one hour each night on homework, I need to know immediately. We will go over assigned work every morning, so please encourage your child to ask about problems that give them concerns.